The Date
by Sokorra Lewis
Summary: Vala has a date, Daniel's just now figuring things out and Sam and Cameron are stuck talking about it in the cafetaria. [Complete]


AN: This is one of those stories that suddenly you write even though you've been trying to write something else for hours before hand. This took me about an hour at most. I don't see it as my best work but I'm putting it here because I am a feedback addict and need to know what other people think... Hopefully I'll get some inspiration for Memories. I have to involve the Tok'ra and they are stuffling my creativity :)

* * *

Sam was in the middle of eating her breakfast when Vala came hopping in and sat down across from her. Still half asleep, she just nodded her hello and inwardly cursed Vala for being so cheerful after a all-nighter like SG-1 had last night. Sam had finally gotten to bed about three in the morning and unfortunately that meant only four hours of sleep if she slept in till seven.

"Guess what?"

"What?" Sam didn't want to guess. That involved thinking and frankly she could barely think about what she was doing then try to figure out what Vala wanted her to guess.

"I have a date!"

"Daniel finally break?"

"Oh, no. It's not with Daniel." Sam looked up in surprise. Vala had a date...with someone other then Daniel.

"This isn't to make him jealous is it?"

"No. I've decided to give up on Daniel. He obviously doesn't like me in that manner and frankly I got tired of trying. But anyway, his name is Michael Frinks. He shops at the same grocery store I do and we ran into each other last night getting coffee." Vala had been given permission to live off base two months ago. She seemed to be adjusting well, even though she had an unhealthy addiction to coffee. Result of being around Daniel too much no doubt.

"So he asked you over a coffee machine?"

Yes. We are going out Friday night to Michello's. Anyway, I need your help."

"My help? Why?"

"Because I need to borrow some clothes and I need a backup in case the date goes bad."

"What do you mean backup?"

"You can call me and make up some emergency at work that requires me to get there and if I need to get out of the date, I'll come. If I don't then we'll pretend I figured it out over the phone."

"So I'll be your escape plan?"

"Well...yes."

"What makes you think you need one?"

"I don't think I will. But just in case. I don't want any awkward goodbyes."

"It's a first date. Most of it will be awkward."

"True, I suppose. Anyway, will you help me?"

"Sure, I guess. Come over tonight and you can see what you want to borrow."

* * *

Friday night came quickly and Vala got ready for her date at the base, since she and Daniel had been busy with a translation till late. She was very glad she had the idea to bring her clothes with her.

She had borrowed a blue dress from Sam that went down till a little pat her knees and had a v-neck neckline. She liked it; blue had always been a good color on her. Luckily for her, Sam was about the same size so the clothes fit without it being too obvious that it wasn't hers. She wore a pair of shoes that Cameron had bought her for an Air Force Dinner SG-1 had been requested to attend a few months back. She liked high heels and Cameron had luckily gotten her think heels. She did not like stiletto heels. She had tried a pair once and nearly fallen on her face.

She was raffling through her purse to find anything she would need for the night to transfer to the evening bag Sam had also lent her when Daniel walked back into the office. He paused, surprised by what she was wearing.

"Going out?" Vala murmured an affirmative but continued to search through her purse, holding up her lipstick in triumph when she finally found it. Looking through her bag, she made sure she had everything, including the new cell phone that Daniel had gotten her when she started to live no her own outside the base. She only had seven numbers on her contact list, those of SG-1, Jack O'Neil, Carolyn Lam, and now Michael's. "Where are you going?" He asked, trying not to sound like he cared that much.

"Michael is taking me to Michello's."

"Michael?" Daniel tried to remember a time where Vala had mentioned someone named Michael. He was pretty sure none of the SFs she worked with were named Michael. It had to be someone she met off base.

"Yes, Michael. He asked me out on Tuesday."

"So this is a date."

"Yes, I believe one would call this a date." She smiled at him as she tied her bag and collected her coat. "I'll see you tomorrow, Darling." With that she left the office and a confused Daniel Jackson.

* * *

"Vala has a date." Daniel said as he sat down next to Cameron who was trying to eat the meal the mess had made for the evening. Granted, he was pretty sure it was meatloaf but it tasted more like Crab Rangoon, which it really really shouldn't.

"Yes, I know. Didn't you?"

"No, she never told me."

"Michael Frinks, I think his name is. Met the guy over coffee at the corner mart near her house."

"You know all that? How is it that everyone seems to know all this but I know nothing?" Cameron shrugged.

"Perhaps you didn't listen whenever she told you. He seems like a nice guy."

"You met him?"

"Yeah, the first time she went grocery shopping I went with her. Frinks thinks I'm her cousin. You don't need to worry," Cameron added when he saw Daniel's expression. "He came up clean on the background check."

"You did a background check."

"Have you said anything in the last twenty minutes that wasn't a question? Yes, I did a background check. Landry wanted to make sure it wasn't a trust member trying to take advantage of Vala's limited knowledge of the organization. But he's nothing the Trust would want. Very good credit, never had any criminal charges or arrests, in fact his slate is clean. Hell, the guy works as a Nurses Assistant at General. Not exactly seeing what Vala finds interesting about him, but then again, she had some odd tastes." He paused. "You know, eventually she was going to get tired of waiting for you."

"It was a game to her. She wasn't waiting for anything." Cameron rolled his eyes and put down his fork. Besides he wasn't going to finish eating the...thing...on his plate.

"Daniel, I don't know if you noticed, but she stopped being game-like with her attraction to you a while ago. In fact, I don't she's made an overt move on you since she came back from Ori-land. She honestly liked you."

"I guess I never thought she really did."

"Obviously. This makes no sense to me because from the way the General speaks of it, you got the girl on several missions. So you would think you would recognize when one was interested in you."

"Shut, up Cameron." He really didn't want to remember Kera right now. He sighed, and pushed his plate away too. "So she finally gave up on waiting for me to notice and is now dating a squeaky clean NA who shops at her grocery store."

"That's about it."

"That's great." Cameron watched as his friend went to dispose of the food thing on his own plate with a worried look. Daniel had finally come to his senses but it was too late to do anything about it. He couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the archeologist.

* * *

Vala's face hurt from smiling so much. The man was drop dead boring. He had spent the last fifteen minutes discussing a recent case he had done, which she was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to do anyway, but he had to go into minute detail. So she totally regretted asking "So how was work today?" He didn't sound like half the story was finished yet.

_Call Sam! Call!_

She continued to nibble at the spaghetti she had ordered. It wasn't that good. Daniel made better spaghetti then this. However, they did have a really good breadstick. So that was good. And the salads. Very nice salads. She took a sip of her water and smiled at Michael as he continued talking about his latest patient.

The evening had started so well. She had called him and told him to pick her up at the front gates and they had taken a short drive around town to spend the time before their reservations at Michello's. She had told him about how she hadn't been in Colorado for a long time, and he had commented on how he had grown up in a small town about twenty minutes outside Colorado Springs. His father was one of the teachers at the Air Force Academy based in town. She had told him that her father had been a merchant trader, though she made up that he worked for some company in Australia. That is where Sam had decided her accent best placed her as. He didn't need to know it was actually on some other planet.

_Calling me would be a good idea Sam!_

They had arrived at the restaurant and had a little more conversation about their families while they ordered and waited for their meal. However, shortly after their salads were finished she had asked the stupid question and now, half an hour he was still going on. He was making Daniel's rambles about an ancient celebratory urn exciting. Because as much as she liked Michael, she didn't need to know exactly what happened with a patient with whatever ailment he had said it was. She couldn't pronounce it. She might not have minded but he hadn't let her have a word in edge wise. Daniel at least allowed her to interject comments.

Whatever deity that actually existed must have taken pity on her and a man approached the table. It was only a slight relief because the man happened to be a friend of the patient in question.

"Mr. Frinks?" Michael turned and nodded. "I just wanted to thank you for the work you did on Frank today." He paused. "Oh, I should introduce myself; I'm Pete Shanahan, Frank's partner." Vala wondered what he met till she remembered that the patient had been a cop in town on a case involving a stolen necklace from a Denver jewelry store. That was a second before she realized she knew who Pete was.

And her phone suddenly rang just as she was about to say something. She gave a (fake) embarrassed look and asked to be excused before walking towards the lobby. She flipped the phone open.

"What took you so long to call?"

"Ah?" Oh, it was Daniel.

"Daniel? Why are you calling me? Something up with Sam?"

"Ah, no. She just told me to call you."

"Quick, make up some emergency that I need to help on."

"Ah, Sure. There is an emergency I need your help on. Translation." It was obvious Daniel had no idea why Sam was supposed to call Vala or why she asked him to do it for her.

"Thanks. I'll be right there." She hung up on him and walked back to the table. Pete had left but Michael looked like he was deep in thought.

"Hon, I sorry but something came up at work and they need me there as soon as possible."

"No problem, I'll just pay and we can be off."

"Thank you. How much do I have to pay?" She had always paid a portion of the bill when she went out with the team so she felt there was no reason why she couldn't do the same here.

"Oh, no. That's ok. I'll pay. Ah…I have to ask you a question..."

"Go right ahead." _Just make it over quick_.

"Do you really work for Norad?"

"Yes? Does that bother you?"

"No, no…It's just…"

"What?"

"I told Pete that you worked for Norad and he said I should avoid girls like you because you have a tendency to be a workaholic bunch and several of the boyfriends of personal there have ended up…dead."

"I suppose that's true."

"It..it is?"

"Yes." She stated. "Well, not permanent death. But an ex of mine died for a while but we were able to get him back." So it was months, not minutes, but he didn't need to hear that. Michael was clearly agitated by this news. By this time the waiter had returned with the receipt and his credit card so they left. When they arrived at the entrance to Cheyenne, Michael paused before turning to her.

"Vala, it was an enjoyable evening but I don't think we are suited for each other."

"I quite agree. Thank you for dinner." With that they said goodbye and she rushed inside as if she really did have to be there for some emergency.

Daniel was waiting at the check in point, still wondering what on earth had happened over the phone and she gave him a hug.

"Thank you Darling. You saved me from a night of stitches and bowel displacement."

"What?"

"Never mind. Just know I don't think I'll take your rambles for granted anymore." She signed in and took her coat off as she walked towards the elevator.

"There really is a translation I need your help on."

"There really was an emergency?"

"Yeah. Well, not emergency per se. Just that SG-13 had brought back a tablet with a ancient gouald dialect and I thought you'd be interested."

"Sure, Darling. Anything done so far?" Vala put her arm through Daniel's arm and the two walked down to the archeologist's office discussing the tablet.

* * *

"So how was the date?" Sam asked over coffee the next morning.

"Eh."

"Eh? What's that supposed to mean?"

"It started out good, but then I asked him how work was and he wouldn't shut up. He gave me a detail by detail of a surgery he had to assistant on. And I couldn't put a word in at any time during his oration. Even to say 'What the hell is that?'"

"Why would he assistant surgery?"

"Who knows? Maybe they needed someone and he was the closest qualified. Doesn't matter. Then we ran into your Pete."

"He was never "my Pete". What was he doing there?"

"I guess eating. But he wanted to thank Michael for his help with his partner. Then apparently while I was talking with Daniel…thank you by the way for not explaining to him I was using you as a backup…he warned Michael about dating the girls who worked for Norad."

"He didn't!"

"Yep. So Michael decided we weren't meant to be. Not that I minded. I knew that too."

"So no more dates."

"Well, not exactly."

"You're going out with him again?"

"Oh, not Michael. No, I finally convinced Daniel to take me on another date since our last one got so rudely interrupted."

"I thought you weren't going to bother with Daniel anymore." Vala shrugged.

"Michael made me realize that waiting isn't that bad."

"Daniel called it a date?" Vala frowned as she thought back.

"You know, he did…." She smiled brightly. "Daniel _did_ refer to as a date." She did a little celebratory dance in her seat that just made Sam burst out laughing and a few others in the room look at them strangely.


End file.
